Incremental Islam 24

by Jane Bate and Bryan Hermansdorfer, ©2022

(Mar. 13, 2022) — [See previous installments in this series here.]

There is a convention in Islam of which every non-Muslim must be made aware. Taqiyya is religiously sanctioned lying to non-Muslims, and numerous instances are found in the Quran, Sira and Hadith. Typically, taqiyya is employed to advance Islam, being used lavishly, for instance, in interfaith dialogues to convince non-Muslims that Islam is completely benign. Al-Taqiyya Fi Al-Islam, a well-respected Arabic text, states: “Taqiyya [deception] is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it. We can go so far as to say that the practice of taqiyya is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream…Taqiyya is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era.”

Here is what the Reliance of the Traveller (ROTT) has to say on the subject: “If a praiseworthy aim is attainable through both telling the truth and lying, it is unlawful to accomplish through lying because there is no need for it. When it is possible to achieve such an aim by lying but not by telling the truth, it is permissible to lie if obtaining the goal is permissible, and obligatory to lie if the goal is obligatory.” Since pursuing the goal of spreading Islam until there is a global caliphate is an obligatory goal in Islam, then deception of non-Muslims is an acceptable means towards that end.

There are several distinct types of what is commonly called “taqiyya,” and we will lay these out next month. In the meantime, please give serious thought to the many ramifications of this permissible deception: its use in not only interfaith dialogues (which must always be considered suspect), but textbooks and school lessons, those arguments put forth regarding a new mosque being built, election promises and more.